American Buffalo: Spirit of A Nation

A 55 minute film
Sunday, September 24 at 2 pm
La Grange Park Library
“The buffalo came to America long ago from Asia across the land bridge from Siberia to Alaska. Bison can weigh up to a ton and can stand six feet tall. They numbered in the millions and for many Native Americans were the mainstay of their diet. They hunted only what they could eat and used the hair and bone for their daily needs. But it was the arrival of the white settlers in the 1800s that spelled the end of their magnificent reign. By 1870, hundreds of thousands of buffalo were shipped east each year. Commercial killers weren’t the only ones shooting bison. Train companies offered tourists the chance to shoot them from the windows of their coaches. By 1880, the slaughter was almost over. Only a few thousand remained, sheltered in Yellowstone National Park, a herd from which the Native Americans and activists worked to rebuild the once mighty buffalo nation.”
National Wildlife Federation
Learn also about  three places in Illinois where sizeable herds of bison have become part of the landscape:  Fermi Lab in Batavia, Nachusa Grasslands ( 4,000 acres ), and Midewin. (1,200 acres )
Educational material suitable for children will be available.